Beginning our World War II Experience

In February 1943 I was sent to Camp Shanks, NY, a giant training camp for all troops going oversees.

USS Monticello (AP-61) (also SS Conte Grande)

Left Camp Shanks, March 1943, on a big ship, the Monticello, along with 9,000 soldiers on way to North Africa.  Convoy had about 70 ships, battleship Texas, a cruiser, and other ships of all kinds.
On the 9th day of the voyage, I was on deck and heard planes and looked toward the Straits of Gibraltar and saw a flight of British Spitfire planes coming out to welcome us to North Africa.  2 days later landed in Algiers, Algeria.  Other ships went to Tunisia and Morocco.

We started our job running railroads.  Now in French Territory had to be a little diplomatic with French Railroad employees.

July 4, 1943 we had three troop trains in a small town of Maison Carree, Algeria, one filled with German prisoners, another one with Italian prisoners.  The center train was full off ammunition aircraft bombs ut to 1000 pounds each, and all kinds of other ammo.  in the night, "late" an explosion occurred sending parts of everything as far as our camp 3 miles away.  German and Italians disliked each other so much they would not ride the same train.